You are here

International Judicial Exchanges: Briefing Materials

The U.S. Legal System: A Short Description (PDF)
An overview of the U.S. Legal System including: (1) structure of the federal court system; (2) structure of the state court systems; (3) court administration; (4) the role of judges, prosecutors, and lawyers. For translated versions of this document, see Translated Briefing Materials under the Resources menu.

Federal Courts & What They Do (PDF)
Introduction to the U.S. court system, its organization and administration, and its relationship to the legislative and executive branches of the government.

Judicial Conduct and Discipline (PDF)
Description of the rules and procedures governing judicial conduct and discipline in the U.S. Courts. For translated versions of this document, see Translated Briefing Materials under the Resources menu.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (PDF)
Description of ADR programs and procedures in the U.S. Courts. For translated versions of this document, see Translated Briefing Materials under the Resources menu.

Judicial Performance Evaluation (PDF)
A well-designed and carefully administered judicial performance evaluation (JPE) program can serve to improve the administration of justice and enhance public confidence in the judiciary. This document describes different features of a judicial performance evaluation process and describes programs used by the federal and state courts in the United States.

The Federal Judicial Center produced and maintains this site in furtherance of its statutory mission. The Center regards the contents of this site to be responsible and valuable, but these contents do not reflect official policy or recommendation of the Board of the Federal Judicial Center. The site also contains links to relevant information on websites maintained by other organizations; providing these external links is for the convenience of this site's users and does not constitute verification or endorsement of the information or the sites to which the links are produced. Opinions expressed in the materials found on this site are those of the authors, and not necessarily those of the Federal Judicial Center.